Kingdom Days - Ferris Vidal
by KingdomDays
Summary: When Princess Emma is forced to leave her kingdom after a siege on her castle, she somehow ends up betrothed to the King of a neighboring country. With only 30 days to decide if she would marry him, Emma wanders around surrounding woods. A coffin chained to a tree and a mysterious poem lead her to discover long forgotten secrets and free a prisoner who might just change everything


**A\N: Based on the Ferris path of the Kingdom Days Sim Date game by Pacthesis. I own nothing.**

 **(changed Rose's name to Emma, because I know a Rose in real life and I don't want them mixing in my head.)**

* * *

Ever since I could remember, I was living in this orphanage. The place was quiet and kind of peaceful, but when you spend as much time there as I have, the silence becomes deafening. I watched the other kids get adopted day after day, but no one ever came for me.

One day, after another one of my friends waved goodbye to this lonely place, I went to sit down by the old rusted fence, where I liked to spend most of my time, gazing at what lied beyond it. Suddenly, a ball flew right over it and dropped next to me.

"Um, that's my ball. May I please have it back?" said a boy from the other side. I could tell by his pointy ears he was an elf, with amazingly purple yes. I handed him his ball without saying a word. "Thanks. My name is Lewis. What's yours?" he asked politely.

"I don't have one. They said that my mommy and daddy have to give me one" I responded with a courteous smile. His face seemed sad for a moment, like he didn't know what to say. After a small pause, he smiled a little again and asked if I wanted to play with him. I shook my head negatively. "They told me that I can't leave until my mommy and daddy get here."

"Oh…" He looked at the building behind me, then back at my face. I kept up the smile, because I had been told many times that I have to make a good first impression and always be nice and smile a lot when I meet new people.

Then we heard a voice shouting from behind him. "Lewis? Where are you?"

"I… have to go now" he said, but didn't move a muscle.

My smile faded. I didn't want him to leave.

"Lewis!" the voice called again.

I regained my composure and smiled again. "It was nice talking to you, Lewis. I hope we meet again."

The voice called one more time, and he slowly turned around and followed it. "I'll come back," he said, turning his head toward me one last time, and then ran to the person calling him.

* * *

~O~

A few more days passed by, and my dream of finding a family still went unfulfilled. Then, one morning, when I was sitting alone by the fence again, one of the caretakers approached me. "Someone's here to see you" she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. She led me inside where a man and a woman were waiting nervously.

The woman kneeled down to my eye level and her eyes gazed deeply in to mine. "Do you know who we are?" she asked. I shook my head negatively.

"My name is Sakka, and this is my wife, Lilla," said the man, also kneeling. "We … we are your parents."

"We thought we've lost you forever," the woman added, tearing up. "But now we've come to take you home."

My eyes also started to fill with tears, and I could barely see their faces anymore. I leaped in to their open arms, and for the first time felt the loving embrace of a parent.

After my parents signed a bit of paperwork, we were free to leave. I watched with wide eyes as the iron gates opened up before me, and I stepped outside. A big carriage was waiting for us not too far. The coachman nodded and touched his hat in a gesture of respect. And next to him was sitting the boy with the ball, Lewis.

When he saw me, his face stretched in to a wide smile. He jumped down and opened the carriage door. "Your Highnesses," he said and bowed before us. It turned out my parents, Lilla and Sakka Urwin, were the King and Queen of the Lunar Kingdom, and now suddenly I was a Princess. And, as luck would have it, Lewis was a servant to the royal family, and it was only thanks to him that the king and queen were able to find me. He later became my personal servant, and we grew very close. For a while I did get to live happily, but not ever after. After a few years a terrible war broke out. Many kingdoms picked up their weapons and started attacking one another out of fear, until one day what _I_ feared most happened…

* * *

~O~

I was making my way to my room from the library one day, when I heard groans and clinking swords outside.

Then someone called out to me. "Milady! M-Milady, where are you?!"

I recognized the voice instantly. "I'm over here Lewis!"

"Hurry, we need to get out of here, now! Cesathis's soldiers have entered the castle!" he blurted out, looking around nervously.

"But what about my parents… a-and everybody else?! You can't leave all of them behind!" I retorted.

"Th-they'll be fine! Please…! Milady, we have to go now!" Lewis said in an unusual tone that didn't stand for objections. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the fireplace, pushing some button on its side. It turned in to a stairwell, which seemed to lead underground.

"Aah! L-let go of me…! No, Lewis!" I shouted, trying to pull away, but his grip was strangely firm around my wrist.

He was usually a lot more gentle with me. In fact, I thought he was a little wimpy. But I've never seen him this serious before. I knew he didn't like dark creepy places, yet he was now leading me down a completely dark tunnel without a trace of fright. I should really give him more credit from now on. After what seemed like hours, the tunnel came to an end. We climbed another set of stairs and he pushed on a wooden lid.

"It's clear. We should hurry," he said and helped me climb out of the hole. I looked around and realized we were now in the woods, near the castle, where my father went hunting sometimes. It was night, and I could see the smoke and fire coming from the castle.

I heard more screams and the continuing sounds of battle. "Lewis, we have to go back!" I said, taking a few steps toward my home.

"No, Milady!" he exclaimed, getting a hold of me again. "There is nothing we can do about it now. If we went back, you'd just end up captured!"

"But what about everyone else!? They'll be captured too, won't they?"

"I'm sure they'll be ok. There are a few other hidden passages throughout the castle. Your parents and some servants also know about them. Just believe in them. They will manage on their own. My job is to protect you, so I cannot allow you to return yet. It is simply too dangerous."

I knew what he was saying was true. I diverted my gaze to the palace in the distance. What could I, one princess, do to help at this point? They weren't after me alone, they wanted the whole royal family. I felt something warm cover my shoulders. I looked at it, and it turned out to be the coat of Lewis's suit. "Here you go, Milady. It's pretty cold out here. We should get moving before they've realized we were missing." He had a point. I sighed deeply and followed him through the dark leafless forest, reluctantly leaving behind all that I loved.

* * *

~O~

We wandered around in the darkness for so long, I lost track of time. The fall isn't the best season to be wandering around in the woods. Me and Lewis were both covered in mud, it was cold and cloudy, and to top it off, the bare branches of the trees looked really creepy.

"Are you alright? We can take a short break if you're tired," said Lewis after a while.

"I'm ok. But where are we going to go now, Lewis? We've been running around like this forever! We don't even know where we are!"

"I'm sorry, Milady. All I wanted to do was protect you, but it looks like I've failed," Lewis said with sad notes in his voice.

"What do you mean, 'failed'!? We're both alive, aren't we?" I said, trying to cheer him up.

"Um.. y-yes, of course. You're right" he said, cracking a small smile. "Huh? Is it just my eyes, or do I see something in the distance?" He stopped, diverting his gaze east.

I also looked in that direction and saw smoke and outlines of houses. "No, I see it too! It looks like a village! Ah! There's a castle there too!"

"A castle! That's it! I'm sure the people there will help us when we tell then you're royalty. Hurry, Milady! Let's go!"

We rushed toward the palace with relieve in our hearts. To tell the truth, I was really tired. I felt like I'd pass out any minute, but I didn't want Lewis to worry about me. He does that too much already.

"Well, here we are. I suppose all I can do now is cross my fingers and give this door a knock," Lewis said when we arrived at the castle gates and knocked. For a minute nothing happened.

Then we heard a grouchy voice from the inside. "Do you have any idea what time it is? If it's not important, come back in the morning!"

"E-excuse me! I apologize for bothering you this late at night, but this is very important!" Lewis yelled through the door.

"Fine then, state your name and business," the voice from inside demanded.

"My name is Lewis Ashton, and I'm here with the Princess of the Lunar Kingdom. Our castle was attacked and we were forced to flee. We've been wandering around for hours and we have no destination or shelter. I would be grateful if you were so kind as to let us stay here."

A long pause set in. Lewis and I exchanged glances, not sure what to do. "U-um, hello? Are you still there?" he asked from our end.

"I'm thinking, don't rush me. If you're so impatient then just come in for now," the voice called.

"Yes, of course! Thank you very much!" Lewis exclaimed. He pushed open the big wooden doors, and we entered a huge entrance hall. There was nobody in sight.

"Where did the person behind the door go?" I asked quietly, but got no answer.

"H-hello?" Lewis tried to say, but his words echoed in the emptiness.

"It looks to me like the whole castle is asleep," I said to him.

"Then who let us in?" my servant questioned. "I think I see a light over there. Come on," he said, leading me to another set of doors at the bottom of the hall. Once we got in, we saw it was the throne room. "Hello? Is anybody in here? We were told to come in, but-" Lewis started to say, but was interrupted by the same grouchy voice from before.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Can't you wait for one second?" Just then, out of nowhere, a young man about our age walked in. "Just what I need. More useless people asking me for help," he said, sitting on his throne. My eyes narrowed. I really don't like this guy.

"Oh…! Sorry, but I didn't ask you before, but what is your name, sir?" asked Lewis, still trying to be polite to this jerk.

"Joseph Knight. And address me as 'your Majesty' instead of sir from now on." Man, was this guy full of himself. I have to admit though, I didn't expect that. What kind of king answers his own door and prowls his own palace in the middle of the night?

Lewis was caught off guard too. "Y-y-your Majesty?!" he stuttered. "Ah! Wait, I've heard your name before! You're the youngest king in this country! So then this must be the Hepcatsis Kingdom, right?"

"Correct. And if I remember clearly, you said that you two are from the Lunar Kingdom?" the king inquired coldly. "Um, y-yes, your Majesty. The Lunar kingdom was attacked by Cesathis," Lewis answered right away.

"Sakka Urwin is your king, isn't he? Where is he now?" King Joseph asked, and his words made me feel like I'd been punched in the gut.

"I… I don't know" said Lewis with a sad expression. "But I'm sure he escaped safely like his daughter," he added reassuringly, looking my way. The king went silent again. "Um, your Majesty? ..." Lewis started expectantly.

"I've reached my decision" Joseph declared. "Please escort yourselves out of this kingdom and never return. I don't want to see your faces ever again."

"Wh-what!? Y-your Majesty, why? P-please…! We have nowhere else to go!" Lewis pleaded. It was clear to me why. He didn't want to risk his pretty little head.

"I've just decided that I don't like you two. There are no benefits for me, if I let you stay," King Joseph said indifferently. For the short time I've known this guy, I liked him less and less. Now he just added selfish and shallow to his list of traits. I could never imagine my father turning away people, royalty or not, that came pleading for his help. "The only useful thing I could gain from the Lunar kingdom are relations with the royalty anyway. Now please, go away, I'm tired and I don't want to deal with this anymore," the king added and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Lewis exclaimed suddenly. "She'll… marry you." My jaw dropped. Did my best friend really just sell me out to this douchebag!? The king stopped in his tracks. "King Joseph, will you take the princess's hand in marriage?" my friend added.

"L-Lewis! What are you doing!? That's crazy! You're not serious, are-"

"Fine," Joseph cut me off.

"Hold on a second! I never said I would marry you! You can't do this!" I tried to protest.

"I can and I will. If you disagree, then leave," Joseph said, cutting me off again. This guy just made my blood boil!

"Fine! Let's get out of here, Lewis! We'll find another place to stay." I turned to leave, but Lewis blocked my way.

"Milady, I'm sorry. The outside parts of this kingdom are too dangerous," he said in a calm, but insisting voice. "Don't forget Cesathis soldiers will be looking for you. Coming here was already a miracle." I didn't have an answer for that, so I looked away and kept silent.

"The wedding will take place a month from now. Like I said, if you don't want to go through with this, then you and your elf servant must leave," king Joseph said from behind me. I didn't give out any kind of response. I can't condemn myself to a loveless marriage with a guy like that, can I? "Since the Princess seems to be still making up her mind, you two can stay at the empty houses on the west part of the village. We're done now, right? Good night," the king said and just left.

* * *

~O~

Me and Lewis left the castle and found the houses the king mentioned without much of a trouble.

"Wow. This house is actually pretty nice. Wasn't it nice of the king to let us stay in it?" he said when we entered the first one.

It's true the house wasn't bad. It had everything I could need. I even found some money in one of the drawers. I wasn't sure it was ok to take it, but Joseph did say no one lived inside. But the nice house didn't make up for the fact that I had to marry someone like him. How could Lewis just betroth me to him like that!?

"…. Milady, please don't look at me like that. I only did all of that to protect you," he said.

"I can look at you however I want!" I snapped "How is marrying him supposed to protect me!?"

His face saddened again. "You have every right to be angry," he said with a sigh. "Forgive me. I didn't know what else I could have said to convince him into letting us stay here. He did say the only thing he could gain were relations with the royals… It's getting late and you've been through a lot today. I think it's about time for us to get some rest. I'll be in the house next door so don't worry. Sweet dreams, Milady," he said and exited, leaving me alone.

I had so many emotions twirling inside me. Regret for leaving my family, fear of what's going to happen, defiance for being offered to Joseph like some item on an auction, anger at Lewis for doing that, helplessness to change anything and not to mention fatigue. I was so worn out, the minute I sat down on the bed I fell backwards and fell asleep with my dirty clothes still on.

I was awoken the next morning by a loud knock. "Come in!" I said, realizing I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday, and that I've left some dirt stains on the bed sheets.

"Good morning, Milady. Did you sleep well?" asked Lewis, stepping inside.

I noticed he has already changed in clean attire. "Huh? Your outfit… you already got new clothes?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes!" he replied with a smile. "I ran into some very good people this morning. I was even able to get you a new dress!" he added showing me a pink dress.

I took it in my hands and checked it out. "Ew. Lewis, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but… it's pink. And why did you get me a dress? I'm not living in a castle anymore. Can't I just wear pants or something?"

"P-pink?! This isn't pink! It's fuchsia!" he objected. "And of course you can't wear pants! You're still a princess! You must dress appropriately!"

I sighed. "Fine. But aren't pink and fuchsia pretty much the same thing?"

"It doesn't matter, Milady. I think that this color will look nice on you. Now hurry up and get dressed! We should go back to the castle to pay King Joseph a visit."

"What!? No way! Why would I ever want to see that jerk again?" I exclaimed discontentedly.

"You're going to marry him, aren't you?" said Lewis. "You should at least try to get to know him a little better. Maybe he was just in a bad mood yesterday. Just give him a chance."

"Bad mood, yeah right," I mumbled to myself. In how bad of a mood do you have to be to refuse someone your help, if you're usually a decent guy?! But what choice do I have? "Okay, okay! Just get out of here so I can change already!"

"That's the spirit, Milady! I'll go on ahead, actually. We'll meet up at the castle, okay?" he said cheerfully and walked out.

I sighed again, irritated of how happy he was about this. I changed into the pink dress and stepped outside. The palace wasn't far, but I had to go by a part of the village. When I first saw this place, I thought every town would look a bit gloomy at night, but now it seems just as depressing. Maybe it was from the weather, but I just felt unwelcome here. The woods we arrived from were the same way they were at night – scary. I passed by an old windmill that looked abandoned. I stopped and looked at it. It felt as if I was being watched. I sensed chills running down my spine and quickly continued my path. I also passed an old blacksmith's that looked dusty, but the guy inside seemed to be doing normal things, even if he was surrounded by cobwebs. Maybe he just wasn't good at cleaning?

I arrived at the palace and walked right in. Lewis was waiting for me in the throne room. I noticed his face was worried. "Hey, Lewis. Is something wrong?" I asked, approaching him.

"Ah, Milady! It's King Joseph… he… he's gone!" he exclaimed.

"Gone? So... is he... dead?" I said, maybe a little hopefully.

"Noooo! Don't tell me that you were secretly hoping for that to happen!" Lewis exclaimed. Well, to be honest, no. Even if he was a douche, I wouldn't wish for anyone's death. Although, that _would_ solve all my problems, but I didn't say it to Lewis. "Here, I found this on his throne…" he said, handing me a piece of paper. It said:

 ** _'I went to take care of some business. I'll be back before the wedding._**

 ** _Joseph Knight'_**

I looked back at Lewis and saw he was still worried. "So what?" I said. "He'll be back. It's not like he's gone forever." _Unfortunately,_ I added to myself.

"B-but... now you can't get to know him!" said Lewis and sighed. "I guess now the only thing we can do is wait for him to come back."

"Whatever" I said, again irritated by his behavior. "I've had enough of this. I'm going for a walk," I stated and walked out.

"A-ah! Please be careful, Milady!" Lewis called after me, but I just continued walking.

* * *

~oOo~

I got out of that castle and continued walking forward, not sure where I was going. I had some money on me, so I thought I should visit the local Bazaar and see what it's like, hoping that at least there it won't be as gloomy as the rest of the town. I was a little disappointed though, because when I got there, I only saw four or five people wandering around. I sighed and walked in to the first store I saw.

"Good morning," I said to the girl behind the counter.

She greeted me in response, but loudly gasped upon seeing my face. "Ah! You're that princess, aren't you? Then that means you're King Joseph's fiancée! Wow, what an honor!" she blurted out hasty and bowed. Boy, news sure travel fast in this village.

"There's no need to bow. I haven't decided whether I will marry him or not yet."

"Oh, but you're still a princess! I need to act with proper respect, don't I? My name is Anna, by the way. If you need to know something about anything around here, don't hesitate to ask me! Now feel free to look around. I may even give you a discount, because you're with Lewis," she said and winked at me.

"You know Lewis?" I asked startled.

"Yes, he works here," she answered back cheerfully.

So Lewis got a job, huh? I wonder why. Did the King just let us fend for ourselves?! Well, it wouldn't surprise me. "Hey, Anna, right? Do you hire anymore help?" I asked the counter girl. I've never had to work before, but I can't let Lewis support both of us, and I figure I'd be fun if we work together.

"Oh, sorry. We have all the help we can afford now. But if you want a job, you can go to the Witch's Cottage right across from here. Stella might have a free spot," she replied apologetically.

I bid her goodbye and left the store. I easily spotted the Witch's Cottage, which was a small, isolated construction near the woods, right across form the Bazaar. I've met a few witches before, but not one did I find friendly. People say that not all witches are evil, but apparently all of them are grouchy or aloof. I knocked a couple of times on the door, and in typical witches-trying-to-impress-people way, it just swung right open.

"Welcome," greeted me a mysterious voice from within as I stepped inside. "Good day, your Highness. What brings you here?" asked the white-haired sorceress behind the stand.

"Hello. Are you Stella?" I asked, making my way to her.

"Yes, I am. I never thought a person like you would be interested in magic and witchery."

"I… have many talents," I said, running my fingers trough a beautiful glass angel on one of the shelves. For a moment, I wondered why a witch would sell something like that in here, but quickly remembered why I came in the first place. "Do you by any chance need help around here? I'm kind of looking for a job."

"I'm sorry, but I don't allow people to work here without proper experience," Stella said. "You have to be very careful when working around potions. I don't need bored princesses killing time here."

"I have better things to do with my time!" I snapped. "I'm doing this because the King didn't give us any money before he left and me and my servant are left to fend for ourselves. I just… don't want him to carry us both on his back. Anna, the girl at the Bazaar said you could help me. Looks like she was wrong," I uttered and headed for the door.

"Wait, princess. If you want an employment here so much, you can try reading this," Stella said behind me and a book on my right opened up by itself. The chapter it landed on was 'Potion of Wisdom'. "Take this tome and give it back to me within seven days. If by the time you return it you can make this potion, I'll let you work for me."

"Thank you," I replied a bit brusquely, took the book and left. Maybe I should've been a bit more polite about it, but I really don't like when people make assumptions like that about me, just because I'm a princess. Not all princesses fall into the same stereotype, you know! I headed back to the house, opening the book as I was walking.

Hmmm, this potion stuff doesn't seem that hard. All I gotta do is put herbs in a bowl, mix them a couple of times and add other things in a specific order. I flipped the pages to the end where I started reading the descriptions for different herbs and where to find them. Some of them were kinda weird. Where was I supposed to look for spikenard, and why did it have to be cut during a full moon? I need to get a lunar calend-

"Ah!" I yelped, finding myself on the ground and dropped my tome in some kind of hole before I could finish my thought. "Ok, lesson learned: Don't walk around with your nose in a book," I mumbled and got up, peeking in the hole. Who in their right mind would make a hole way out here anyway!? I was almost at Lewis's house, which along with mine was outside the actual village. It was a small ditch, about meter and a half deep, but my eyes widened when I saw what lied at the bottom. A small white-tailed baby dear was looking up at me with its big sad eyes. My book was down there too, along with scattered candy and chocolate bars, a moldy loaf of bread and even a meaty steak.

The poor thing, who could've done this to it? It looked like someone tried to feed it, but apparently knew nothing about deer at all. I jumped down without giving it much thought and picked up it in my arms. It was surprisingly light, and I could feel its bones though the skin. I put it on the surface along with my book and climbed out myself, albeit with some effort. I watched the fawn trying to stand up, but its week legs couldn't handle the pressure. It must've been down there for some time. I embraced it again and headed to the forest. As I expected though, there wasn't much vegetation around, so I had to venture deeper.

After a little bit of wandering around, I found a small lake with somewhat lush grass surrounding it even at this time of year. I put the fawn down and watched it wobble its way to the water and start drinking. I wondered if I should look for the mother, but I had no clue where to begin. I sat down by some bushes and just observed the fawn graze. Suddenly my eyes fixed on a flowery plant with pink, bell-shaped petals to my left that looked very familiar. I opened the magic tome again and flipped to the pages with herb descriptions. It was spikenard, the plant I needed for the potion! But it had to be cut during a full moon… I shivered at the thought of coming all the way out here in the dark. I tried to get my mind off of it by standing up and stretching. The little fawn came to me and nibbled at my leg. I crouched down to pet it and felt chills run down my spine. The wind blew and faint ghostly rattling reached my ear. I stood up and carefully scanned the trees around us for any signs of movement. The noise continued and I don't know why, but I had the urge to follow it. It was stupid, reckless, probably not very sane, but I felt drawn to it, almost like a hypnotizing melody, so I left the secure open space and stepped into the dark woods. I hadn't even made five steps in there, when I found the source of the sound. It was a big black coffin, shackled with heavy chains to a huge tree. It seemed to have been there for a long time, because a lot of vines and moss had grown around it. I noticed it had an inscription, so I leaned in and read it out loud.

" _Those who commit sins shall be punished. God only forgives when a fragile angel heals his heart_ … I wonder what that could mean…" I said to myself, running my fingers over the words. The fawn's bleating finally made me tear away from the out of place object and return out to the open. The little animal looked better now; it even managed to walk in a straight line without staggering too much, so I was fairly sure it could fend for itself now. I petted it one last time and went home.

* * *

~O~

In the evening, I looked over the moon stages. Tonight it was in its First Quarter Phase, but it was almost full, so according to the charts in the book the next full moon should be tomorrow. How convenient. When I tried to go over the potions again though, my mind kept wandering away to the inscription on the coffin. I couldn't help but feel like it was a riddle, challenging me to crack it. And besides, the whole thing was pretty bizarre. Why would a coffin be on the ground, instead of under it? Why did it have to be chained with such serious shackles? All those questions were circling in my mind, until I woke up the next morning with the book still open on my stomach.

"Good morning, Milady," Lewis greeted me trough the door. "Can I come in?"

"Uh… sure" I said, quickly hiding the tome under my pillow. "Today seems like it'll be a nice day, doesn't it?" he said with a smile. "I came by to tell you that I'm going to be at the Bazaar until late in the afternoon, so if you need me, you know where to find me."

"Yeah, I know. At your job. When were you going to tell me you got one?"

"Oh. So you've found out, have you? Well, it was never a secret, Milady. The King left, so we have to work for our daily bread."

"But I want to help too! Why didn't you tell me that skinflint of a ruler didn't leave us money?" I protested.

He just smiled. "Milady, it's not fit for a princess to work. I am your servant, so it is my duty to work for you. Don't worry, I'll do my best so you don't feel a need for anything."

"No, Lewis, I'm getting a job too! I already looked around for openings and after I gain some experience, I'll make twice the money you do."

Lewis's face gained a surprise expression. "Milady, there really is no need for you to also work…"

"Well, I'm a princess, aren't I? I can do whatever I want, so if I want to work, I will, and there's nothing you can do about it," I cut him off. "I won't let you carry my weight on your back, Lewis," I added a bit more gently.

"I understand. As you wish, your Highness," he replied and sighed with a resigned smile.

"Good. Now go, or you'll be late," I urged, wanting to get back to studying potions.

When he left I spent the whole day reading. Well, the first thing I was going to need was water, so I took the wooden bucket I found laying around the kitchen and went to the well to get some. The village was much more lively in the afternoon. There were two women at the well already, so as I waited for my turn to come, I overheard what they were talking about.

"Maybe it ran away?"

"Nah, Sam said they dug a hole so it can't escape and left it there, can you imagine?"

"Kids these days… they probably cost the poor thing its life."

"It's the mother deer's fault, if you ask me. Leaving her young defenseless like that and wandering away…"

"You'd do that too, if you were attracting predators to your kid. The little ones don't have an active smell yet, so the mother leads the predators away. Anyway, what did you do to make Sam stop crying? My Garry made his father go with him to the woods to look for it this morning, but didn't find squat. Now I'm making him a cake as soon as I go back…"

The women filled their vessels and left together. So it was kids that took the poor fawn, huh? No wonder they tried to feed it with chocolate. At least they meant well. When I got the water and turned to leave, I suddenly found myself face to face with the church. The riddle from the coffin rang in my head again: 'God forgives only when a fragile angel heals his heart'. Could this place have some connection to it? I mean, it **is** the house of God, and there are probably angel statues inside. There were many hidden tunnels and passageways in my castle, so what if there was some angel-related mechanism that has something to do with the coffin inside? Checking it out won't hurt anyway, and with some luck I may even solve the puzzle.

My footsteps echoed in the emptiness as I walked in. There was nobody in sight, so I proceeded to walk between the aisles, looking up at the huge white ceiling. The place was pretty simple for my disappointment, with little to no decorations at all and no angels, pained, sculpted or otherwise. I reached the altar at the bottom and when I looked up again, something finally caught my attention. It was a heart-shaped hole, right above the shrine. 'Only forgives when an angel heals his heart'? Did that mean God's heart? Was I supposed to plug the hole in his church?

"Welcome!" a voice behind me suddenly exclaimed. I turned around and saw a flying egg in a cassock, floating in the air next to me (yes, you did read that right). "Have you come to pray? Or simply confess your sins?" it asked.

"Um… are you…?"

"I am the priest! Yes, a priest. You can call me father, if you want. I noticed you were checking out that heart shaped hole over there. Hey, if you give me a glass angel I can put it in there for you. Something reeeeaaaaallyy cool will happen!"

"S-s-something cool!? Like what?" I stuttered, taken aback from his words. Did he know about the inscription too?

"… I don't know. It just says so in this book," the priest said, flying over to the alter and flipping trough the pages of a big, ancient-looking book. The left page was taken by a picture of a burning village and a man running away, followed by a classical angry mob, and huge red text covered the whole right page.

 _ **Imprisoned for all of time**_

 _ **the accused of a terrible crime**_

 _ **must stay forever at bay**_

 _ **so you never should or may**_

 _ **with the hole shaped like a source of affection**_

 _ **enforce his resurrection**_

 _ **If the dreadful curse you try to reverse**_

 _ **heed the words we tried to conceal**_

 _ **inscribed on the villain's seal.**_

 _ **A fragile angel away from**_ _ **God's grace must be kept,**_

 _ **or else by despair this land shall be swept**_

"See? It says right here that if we put an angel in the hole something awesome is gonna happen," the priest said.

"But his passage… speaks about a curse and a criminal. How is releasing him cool!?" I snapped, annoyed.

"Pfff, this manuscript is at least a thousand years old! Whoever that offender was, he's long dead by now. I just wanna see if his corpse falls out of the sky, or something. Wouldn't that be fun?" the priest said excitedly.

"Uh… yeah… I have to go now," I muttered and left the church.

"Be sure to come back and pray this Sunday!" the priest yelled after me.

So someone was 'accused of a terrible crime' and locked in that coffin. Maybe I shouldn't meddle with it after all; I don't want despair to sweep the land. Then again, the priest had a pretty solid point. Whoever was in there must've died inside a long time ago. I looked up at the sky, wondering if I should try to open the coffin anymore. A bird flew across the blue and I followed it with my gaze. It landed on the roof of the Witch's Cottage, and suddenly a certain memory came back to me. Yesterday, when I went in that shop to look for a job, I traced my fingers over a magnificent glass angel. Could this be…?

I completely forgot about the bucket with water I was still carrying and entered the shop again.

"Have you already mastered the art of potions, your Highness?" said Stella instead of a greeting.

"No, but I'm looking for something," I replied, gliding my eyes over the shelves. "How much for this glass angel?" I asked when I finally spotted it.

"It is a very valuable ancient relic. It costs a lot more than you can afford in your current condition," Stella said. I don't know if I should even try to obtain it, but I _know_ this is the answer, it must be!

"How about these?" I asked, taking off my opal earrings. I didn't expect it, but Stella's eyes widened.

"You have a passion stone?" she asked, astounded, taking one in her hand and examining it up close. "Our kind calls these 'pieces of the rainbow'. It has affinity towards all elements and is empowered by all planets. How did you get it?"

I blinked confused a couple of times. To me they were only decoration. "So, I take it they're rare?"

"Extremely."

"My father brought them for me when he went to visit another kingdom. If I gave them to you, will you give me a discount on the angel? Please?"

Stella looked at me with a straight face. "Why do you wish to posses it?" she asked out of the blue.

"I, uhh… just really like it. It's beautiful, isn't it?" I answered, trying not to look away.

After a long inquisitive look, she reconciled. "Alright then. Your earrings, for the angel."

My face stretched in to a grin. "Thank you, Stella!" I exclaimed and took the figurine. As I turned to leave however, she suddenly spoke.

"Princess. You should be careful with that. It was given to my great-great-great-great grandmother by the priest of the church at the time. I'm not sure what purpose is served back then, but keep in mind it's still a powerful artifact."

I walked out without saying a word. So everything was true! And I _was_ right! This figurine is the key to unlocking that coffin. Whatever that person did, it was time for God to forgive him.

I rushed to the church, completely forgotten about the water I initially came to this part of the village for. "Father!" I said, as soon as I opened the doors.

"Who calls out to me so early in the morning?!" the priest whined, getting out of the confession chamber.

"Uh.. what do you mean? It's late afternoon," I said, confused. This priest sure was… special.

"Oh, I see you have a glass angel! Would you like me to put it in that hole up there for you?" he said after spotting the ornament in my hands.

I nodded and gave it to him. I waited in suspense as he flew up and put the angel in the heart-shaped hole above the alter. For a moment I thought I heard something… but nothing happened. And after some more minutes passed by… still nothing happened.

"Hmmmmm, that's weird. Wasn't something cool supposed to happen? Oh, well. Your loss," the priest said and flew away.

I turned around and left the church.

Seeing the well outside made me remember the bucket of water I left at the Witch's Cottage. I headed there and knocked on the door, feeling a bit uncomfortable. It opened by itself, as usual. "Ummm… this is a little embarrassing, but I think I left my water here…?"

"Yes. It's in the corner, right where you left it," Stella said, not lifting her eyes from the book she was reading. How did she read in this dark place anyway?

"Ah, thank you," I said and was about to leave when I made out the title of her book: 'Local legends and folklore'. "Hey, Stella? Is there something in your book about that creepy coffin in the forest?"

This made her finally turn her surprised gaze to me. "Yes. Why, are you interested?"

"Well, I stumbled upon it when I was gathering herbs for that Wisdom potion. It looked pretty old, so I just thought it may have a myth surrounding it," I replied elusively.

"Supposedly, a vampire was locked in it as punishment for his heinous acts. I'm not sure if any of it's true, though. It's probably just folklore," she said and returned to her reading.

Chills ran down my spine. Aren't vampires… immortal? But still, without feeding… I don't know much about vampires to begin with, but what if I actually released one that (according to writings) is evil on this unsuspecting village? "S-stella? How long can vampires last without feeding?"

"Well, that depends on the vampire," she said without looking up. "Most wouldn't last that long in imprisonment, if that's what you're worried about. The woods are perfectly safe, I stroll around there every night to gather herbs and perform certain kinds of spells."

"Oh, ok. Thanks," I replied, took my water and went straight home.

I _was_ going to check on the coffin, but I chickened out. And what's worse? Tonight is the full moon. The only time I'll have the chance to get spikenard with magical properties for my potion. If I don't give it to Stella tomorrow, she won't let me have the job and I'll have to watch Lewis work himself hard so that I don't lack anything. I don't want that. I have to go to that forest. Besides, Stella knows more about vampires than me, and if she says he probably didn't survive, then… I just have to trust she's right.

When the clock stroke midnight, I put my coat on and carefully snuck out of the house. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. The full moon was providing lots of light, so it wasn't hard for me to find my way around. I decided that since I'm here anyway, I should check out the coffin. I knew what I would find even before it came in to view. The lid was lying on the ground, but the inside was empty. I got the chills again, but forced myself to keep it together. With some luck the vampire ran away in the opposite direction. I took a deep breath and headed to the lake where I last saw the plant. Just like last time, I felt safer once I got out in the open.

Suddenly the wind rustled trough the trees and I heard a soothing voice: "Hello there, Miss. What brings you to this dark forest at night? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

I turned my face in the direction of the voice and saw a handsome young man standing at the tree border. The wind picked up his long black coat and twisted it around, but my attention was centered on his face. It looked a bit sad, but kind somehow, almost welcoming. His slight smile washed away any traces of fear I had. It makes little sense, but sometimes you can just tell my looking at a person if they're going to hurt you or not. "W-who are you?" I managed to say.

"They call me Ferris. Nice to meet you," he smiled.


End file.
